Joey Johnston – Athletics Senior Writer
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Story Link When South Florida women’s basketball guard Sammie Puisis shoots, it’s like watching an instructional video.
- Her footwork is pristine. The shoulders are squared. Her arms have the perfect rotation. The follow-through, down to the deft flick of her wrist, seems just about perfect. Sometimes, the net barely ripples.
- The arc of her college career hasn’t been quite that smooth — a transfer from her mostly one-dimensional years at Florida State, a nationally prominent rebirth at USF, and a crushing season-ending injury — but all of it provided life lessons.
- While setting up a beautiful finish.
- Puisis will go out as a winner, a key piece of USF’s American Athletic Conference championship team, and a prime reason why the No. 12-seeded Bulls (23-10) are considered a dangerous squad as the NCAA Tournament begins.
- Friday night in Columbus, Ohio (about a 90-minute drive from Puisis’ hometown of Mason), USF opens with the No. 5 Tennessee Lady Volunteers (22-9). Talk about a women’s basketball blue blood: Tennessee is the only program to play in all 43 NCAA women’s tournaments.
But Puisis said USF, making the program’s 10th NCAA Tournament appearance, can’t be overlooked.
“We just have so much love for each other,” Puisis said. “We’ve gone through so much and I think it has bonded us together. I just want to be a good teammate, a good leader and enjoy what could be my last few games (in college).”
Puisis (pronounced: Pwee-sis), a 6-foot-1 guard and a former McDonald’s All-American, leads USF at 14.8 points per game while shooting 39.5 % from 3-point range and 91.8 % from the free-throw line. Her 3.1 makes per game (from 3-point range) ranks sixth nationally and she has 101 triples overall this season (after making 109 in her USF debut season of 2022-23).
“As soon as Sammie shoots the ball, I just get back on defense,” Bulls point guard Mama Dembele said. “That’s how much confidence I have in her shot. And even the days when the shots are not falling, I don’t care. I know she puts in the work. I want her to keep shooting. Those shots are going to fall.”
“Sammie is a phenomenal shooter … absolutely phenomenal,” associate head coach Michele Woods-Baxter said. “Such a quick release. Such deep range. That’s a tough combination to come by.”
Numerology alert: At FSU, Puisis became only the third player in Seminole history to lead the team three times in 3-point shooting But she was never a primary option, almost a decoy at times, and her scoring averages (5.5, 6.9 and 5.8 points per game) reflected that.
Wanting a larger role and the chance to develop into a more complete player, Puisis (with no hard feelings toward FSU) transferred to USF, where her uniform number shifted from No. 2 to (of course) No. 3.
Heading into Puisis’ first USF season, Coach Jose Fernandez said, “You’re shocked when Sammie misses a shot.”
Puisis will leave USF in the class of elite Bulls shooters such as Kitija Laksa, Inga Orekhova, Courtney Williams, and Jessica Dickson. Now she has the opportunity to achieve a lofty goal that escaped all of those stars — and every USF women’s player.
Two NCAA victories and a spot in the Sweet 16.
“I believe in this team,” Puisis said.
And Fernandez believes in Puisis.
“You can run a bunch of stuff for people and get them open, but you want the ones who can make shots,” Fernandez said. “Sammie has a really, really good stroke. And she wants to take those big shots — always.
“I have really enjoyed coaching her. You get in this profession to coach special people and develop a great bond with them. I have enjoyed coaching her and being there for her, on and off the court. You don’t shoot the ball as well as her unless you really invest in the work and put in the time. So whatever rewards Sammie gets, she has worked for them. Especially this year.”
Last season, Puisis suffered an injury in preseason practice that put her status in doubt. She recovered to play in one game, but promptly tore her ACL in a workout before the Bulls faced nationally ranked NC State, ending her season.
“It was a slow comeback and you always have questions about confidence and things like that when you’re coming back,” Woods-Baxter said. “But Sammie, once she hit her rhythm and started feeling good, she was Sammie.”
In a three-overtime victory against Rice, Puisis rescued USF hopes by hitting a 3-pointer (off an inbounds pass) at the regulation buzzer. She had a career-high 34 points (with six 3-pointers) against Memphis and 23 in USF’s biggest regular-season win, a 65-56 upset of No. 9-ranked Duke, which became the ACC Tournament champions.
Puisis has earned her MBA, so she envisions a business-related career, maybe even wealth management (a field where she served an internship). She hasn’t ruled out coaching one day. But her biggest desire is professional basketball, her dream almost from the moment as a fourth-grader that she religiously began shooting drills with her father, Ed.
After coming back from the injury, Puisis feels like her old self.
“When I got hurt and didn’t have basketball anymore, the No. 1 thing is I grew in my faith,” Puisis said. “I leaned on my family and friends and went through some things I’d never been through before. I feel like I grew as a teammate. Everything happens for a reason — as hard as it was — and I think a lot of growth came from it.
“It wasn’t a struggle to watch games on TV because I was used to watching basketball, whether I was hurt or not. It was more in practice, watching the girls work out when I wished I was out there. I learned how much your life can change all of a sudden. I missed being out there a lot. Once I felt good physically, I wasn’t afraid. I was just ready to go.”
The approach hasn’t changed.
The work ethic hasn’t changed.
As Puisis enters the final games of her college career, she’s shooting for the highest goals possible. If she misses three straight shots, she can’t wait for that fourth attempt.
“I trust in my work,” Puisis said. “When I put up a shot, I have confidence.”
That’s the life of a shooting star. The law of averages always favors the hardest workers. Sometimes, that textbook sensation lights up a gym. Sammie P for 3! From start to finish, her USF contributions will linger.
UP NEXT
No. 12 Seed USF Women’s Basketball will face No. 5 Seed Tennessee on Friday, March 21, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio. Tip off is slated for 8 p.m., and the action will air live on ESPN and Bulls Unlimited.
WATCH PARTY
Cheer on Your Bulls at the Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen! RSVP here! Make sure to wear your favorite USF Gear to receive 20% off food and beverages!
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
South Florida women’s basketball has made 19 postseason tournament appearances and had 10 NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez‘s 25 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided the Bulls to 12 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2008-09 WNIT championship, and has won 485 career games, and is the all-time wins leader in the American Athletic Conference.
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